Nap training

JLK0414 · April 2014

Let me preface this by saying I have tried everything to get my 8 month old to sleep longer than 30 minutes in the crib. If he was waking happy after his nap, I wouldn't be so worried. But he wakes screaming everytime and is miserable as the day progresses. I'm looking for any experience with nap training. At this point I'm not even sure if I'm putting him down at the right time. He is an early riser and is normally up around 5 a.m so a 9 am nap is really stretching him. If anyone could share their experience I would greatly appreciate it!

catycate · April 2014

DS did this and it was just the sleep cycle waking him up. I did ferbers nap training after we had our night down pat and it worked.

JLK0414 · April 2014

Can I ask you what his nap plan entails?

JLK0414 · April 2014

I do put him in awake.

mandymack · April 2014

@JLK0414 Been there, done that with TWO kids, ugh!

Kids that age need a 2-3-4 schedule:

AM nap 2 hours after waking for the day (so 7:00am nap if up at 5:00am)
PM nap 3 hours after waking from AM nap
Bedtime 4 hours after waking from PM nap

For me, it was all about establishing the nap routine and it can be whatever YOU want it to be.

For me it was:
A verbal statement: "it's time for nap" to end the fun
Go upstairs and turn on only very dim light to change diaper and sing 1 lullabye song (sing the same one at every nap every day without fail!)
Turn on soundmachine/fan if you use one, turn off light, kiss/hug while walking over to crib, say "have a great nap", put in crib, leave the room.

I did the Cry It Out method for every nap to sleep-train. I let both kids cry up to but no longer than 1 hour at every nap, getting them up if they don't sleep, and trying again for the next nap. It took Nolan about a week to get it but the crying was less and less with every nap and it took a few weeks for both naps to go longer than 30minutes.

My best advice: be consistent and hang in there, it will improve!

JLK0414 · April 2014

TobeMrsShavers - So if he wakes @5, nap @7? Do I let him cry for one hour after waking if the nap is 30 minutes? If he wakes @730, is nap 2 @10:30? If he is up by 11, do I give a third nap or keep him up until bedtime. I think part of the problem is his extremely EARLY wake time!!

mandymack · April 2014

JLK0414 said:

TobeMrsShavers - So if he wakes @5, nap @7? Do I let him cry for one hour after waking if the nap is 30 minutes? If he wakes @730, is nap 2 @10:30? If he is up by 11, do I give a third nap or keep him up until bedtime. I think part of the problem is his extremely EARLY wake time!!

If he wakes at 5am, the AM nap would be at 7am and I always started nap routine about 15 minutes before so 6:45am for you.

If he sleeps 30 minutes, GREAT! Don't leave him to cry at all after he wakes up! The crying is only to break the habit of being held, rocked, driven, stroller-ed, to sleep and to get them use to self-soothing. Any sleep, even 15 minutes is counted as a successful self-soothed nap and that nap is over!

If he wakes at 7:30am, the PM nap is due at 10:30am so, start the nap time routine at 10 or 10:15am. It's important to watch for "sleep" queues in these first few days of sleep training because it's stressful on them and they aren't sleeping much so, be flexible and know that nap may be earlier than 2-3-4 schedule indicates until he gets in the groove.

If he's up at 11:00am, bedtime is 5:00pm. Yes, that's insanely early and BOTH my kids had a few days of bedtimes as early as 4:30pm but sleep begets sleep and a 12 hour day is all a child that age can handle!

Start the bedtime routine around 4:30pm with bottle/nursing, bath, lotion massage, PJs/change diaper, I played a set of 4 lullabyes on my phone during all this, read books, rock in a chair, etc. Whatever you and your child like to do before bed time.

And I won't lie to you - it doesn't happen over night. It can take a week or more for most kids but remember: change is hard and you are trying to change 8 months of programming.

I'm here anytime to chat about it and I wrote about it in my blog: https://notyourmamasmartha.blogspot.com/2012/01/sleep-training-for-naps-update-huge.html
I don't recommend doing one nap at a time like I did because I had much greater success with my oldest doing all naps/bedtime at the same time. But I was torn with my son as he's our last baby and I got some pushback from my husband.

Good luck!!

mandymack · April 2014

LalaMama81 said:

JLK0414 said:

TobeMrsShavers - So if he wakes @5, nap @7? Do I let him cry for one hour after waking if the nap is 30 minutes? If he wakes @730, is nap 2 @10:30? If he is up by 11, do I give a third nap or keep him up until bedtime. I think part of the problem is his extremely EARLY wake time!!

I think you might find that if you start his nap much earlier he won't be overtired and he might sleep longer. Also, it's the sleep cycles - I wouldn't do an hour of crying at that age, I'd let them fuss for a few minutes and then possibly help them back to sleep. I'd rather have a baby that sleeps 1.5 hours even w/ help than a baby that sleeps for 30 minutes then cries and wakes up.

But, I rocked my kids to sleep for bed at naps way longer than 8 months, which I know others disagree with.

This is such a wonderful example of how what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another and YOU the parent have to choose what will work best for your kids and your own personality

And I agree with Lala, which is why I modified sleep-training a bit with each child.

JLK0414 · April 2014

Thanks so much for all the info. I greatly appreciate it. Am I right to assume that eventually he will start waking up later, thus being ready for naps @830/9 and 1230/1?

mandymack · April 2014

JLK0414 said:

Thanks so much for all the info. I greatly appreciate it. Am I right to assume that eventually he will start waking up later, thus being ready for naps @830/9 and 1230/1?

Yes. At least that's what happened with both my kids.

It's a cycle: the longer the naps, the better the night sleep, the later wake up time, the later nap times.

And I found doing something really stimulating/active in the AM like a walk outside (lots of noise), meet up with friends for AM coffee/play date really helped wear them out for that AM nap.

ginger313 · April 2014

I was not able to break the 20 minute naps with DD until she started only taking 1 nap at around 9 months. She was always a great night sleeper, 12-13 hours each night, 6:00 bedtime, from around 5 months old on. But for the love of God, her 20 minute naps were killer for me!

Before 6 months, for naps I would rock her to sleep for 20 minutes only to have her sleep for 20 minutes. Then I stopped rocking her and let her soothe herself to sleep, after a couple of days she'd fall asleep in less than 10 minutes, but would still only sleep for around 20.

By the time she was 9 months I was convinced she was just a crappy napper. Then one day instead of putting her down between 9:30 and 10, I let her stay up until noon. SHE SLEPT FOR 2 HOURS. My kid napped for longer than 20 minutes. It has been 1 nap ever since that day. She's 2 now, and the nap is rarely longer than an hour anymore, but she still takes it and I love that she does.

Good luck, I hope you can find some relief from the half hour naps!

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eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11

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